When Jiang Chen’an and Yumi reached the fifth floor, their first impression was that there were very few people, and their second impression was that there were so many things they had never seen before.
Yumi, in particular, found everything fascinating.
Jiang Chen’an, on the other hand, had seen quite a bit at his two uncles’ houses, though not a single bit of it had ever made its way into his mouth.
Seeing the candy that someone had once bragged about to him, Yumi couldn’t help but swallow his saliva. That person had said it was sweet and super delicious.
“Sister, how much is this strawberry-flavored candy?” Yumi’s mouth curled up into a slight smile, inadvertently showing his two little canine teeth.
The shop assistant glanced at Yumi’s filthy face and his heavily patched clothes, saying with a hint of impatience, “10 pieces of synthetic candy for 140 points; the purified ones are 310 points!”
If everyone were to eat one piece of synthetic strawberry candy, he would have to spend at least 700 points.
After calculating this, Yumi’s small canine teeth instantly disappeared. That was ridiculously expensive!
Can’t afford it! Definitely can’t afford it!
This was just not a place poor people like them should be coming to!
Seeing the two of them about to leave, the shop assistant sneered disdainfully, “Tsk! Poor ghosts! Asking when you can’t even afford it!”
Although the voice was quiet, in the quiet setting of the fifth floor, Yumi and Jiang Chen’an heard it loud and clear.
“We can buy it, Xiaowanzi and the others…”
Before Jiang Chen’an could finish, Yumi pulled him toward the next counter.
They could afford it now, but compared to buying things that were gone as soon as they were eaten, he wanted to buy clothes for Xiaowanzi and the rest.
After passing several counters, the two finally arrived at the seasoning counter they were looking for.
Jiang Chen’an asked the assistant here, “How much is the salt?”
The sales assistant took a look at the two of them. Although he felt these two kids wouldn’t buy anything, headquarters rules stated they had to answer if a customer asked.
Bound by the rules, he said, “150 points for 2 liang (~100g) of synthetic salt, and 300 points for 2 liang of rock salt.”
Jiang Chen’an continued to ask, “Is there any difference?”
“Synthetic salt is directly synthesized in the factory, while rock salt is mined from salt mines outside the base.”
“I’ll take 4 liang of rock salt.”
Hearing that Jiang Chen’an actually wanted to buy it, the assistant looked at him with some surprise, turned around, and retrieved two small bottles from the counter.
Yumi whispered, “Brother Chen, it’s the same as Uncle Xia’s.”
“Mm,” Jiang Chen’an responded.
After checking out, the two held their respective bottles of rock salt, feeling overjoyed inside.
Add a small pot and a pair of chopsticks, and their setup would be complete!
Jiang Chen’an then inquired about the prices of vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, soybean oil, and other seasonings that Gu Xiaomai had asked him to check before they left. In the end, he gritted his teeth and spent 2,400 points to buy 100 milliliters of purified sesame oil.
Yumi couldn’t bring himself to buy it—the main thing was he couldn’t afford it either. This price already exceeded his recent earnings from the land-reclamation team.
Leaving the seasoning counter, the two found the counter selling tableware and cookware. Each bought a pair of gray metal chopsticks and a single-portion gray small flat-bottomed soup pot, spending 140 points.
Having finished their shopping, the two left the fifth floor contentedly and returned to the second floor.
After asking about the price of the clothes, Yumi’s spirits dampened.
He had a little over 1,400 points left after buying his things, but buying clothes for all the kids required 2,400—he only had about half.
“We’ll split it half-and-half,” seeing Yumi on the verge of tears, Jiang Chen’an said. “Hold it back! Get a set each for Granny Gu and the elders, too.”
“Ooh~ hehe~” Yumi cheerfully followed the sales clerk to pick out clothes.
Black for the boys, pink for the girls—yep, tender pink looks great!
Granny Gu and the elders should probably get black, too! If he picked pink, he’d probably get chased around and beaten by Granny Gu.
Once the sales clerk packed everything up for them, each of them carried a large bag of clothes and walked out of the exchange point.
Just before leaving the exchange point, Jiang Chen’an converted all of their remaining points into nutrient solutions and drinking water, leaving only the small change on their identity cards for emergency use over the next few days.
Loaded with their plentiful harvest, the two left the District 13 exchange point and headed toward the orphanage.
The orphanage was located near East Street on Northeast 9th Street, just two streets away from the exchange point. Normally, the two would take the side alleys back.
However, since it was obvious they were carrying a lot of supplies now, they didn’t dare take the alleys for fear of being robbed, so they had no choice but to take the main road to detour back to East Street.
The sky was beginning to darken by the time they reached the orphanage.
Little Persimmon, who was playing with the other children in the yard, heard the familiar footsteps from a distance and shouted loudly, “Granny—Granny—”
“What is it?” A full-throated female voice came from inside the house, followed by the appearance of a woman with graying hair, a walking stick in her right hand, and a empty trouser leg on her right side.
Seeing Little Persimmon squinting hard to look in her direction, the woman said, “If you can’t see clearly, close your eyes and stop staring.”
“Oh.” Little Persimmon obediently closed his eyes. “I think I hear Brother Yumi’s footsteps, and Brother Chen’an’s too.”
Just as Little Persimmon finished speaking, before anyone else in the yard could react, Jiang Chen’an and Yumi appeared at the main entrance of the orphanage.
Seeing Granny Gu, Little Persimmon, and the other kids in the yard, Yumi instantly broke into a smile. “Granny, Little Persimmon, Xiaowanzi, Potato, Little Orange…”
Regardless of whether they could hear or understand him, Yumi greeted everyone present one by one.
After shouting their names, he said loudly, “Brother Chen’an and I are back!”
The children chattered back in response, “Brother Yumi, Brother Chen’an…”
“Ahem.” As soon as Granny Gu cleared her throat, the yard went instantly silent.
“Little Persimmon, take everyone back to the rooms.”
“Oh.” Little Persimmon used his blind eyes to give Yumi and Jiang Chen’an a sympathetic glance. Pulling Xiaowanzi—who couldn’t hear anything—and resting his arm on Potato’s shoulder, he led the rest of the children back to the rooms together.
Disobedient kids are getting a spanking~
Seeing this setup, Yumi knew he was in trouble.
As soon as the main gate opened, he entered the yard and flopped down onto his knees, hugging Granny Gu’s walking stick and wailing loudly, “Granny, you have no idea how exhausting land reclamation is! I was so tired I didn’t even want to get up every morning…” But being able to earn points made it a bit less tiring.
“And in those mountains, animals were howling every single day, it was super terrifying…” Actually, they only howled twice, and he wasn’t really scared.
“And those super huge and fierce contaminated creatures, we almost fell into their hands…” Sorry, Sister Xiaomai, I’ll borrow your experience for a bit.
…
Although Granny Gu’s face was full of anger, Jiang Chen’an looked at her with eyes filled with happiness. It felt so good to have someone care about him!
Seeing the old woman’s expression turn from anger to worry, he breathed a sigh of relief. Good, the matter of leaving without saying goodbye was behind them now.
“Get up!”
Hearing Granny Gu’s softened tone, Yumi knew this beating was averted. He nimbly scrambled to his feet.
Five old men and old women, who had been hiding behind the door ready to step in at any moment, walked out.
“Sister Gu, you’re letting these two boys off way too easily.”
“They both deserve a thrashing, or they’ll never learn.”
“Exactly, they’ve really grown capable now—learning how to run away from home!”